One Hundred and Four
by owlpostagain
Summary: One Hundred and Four, or Eight by Thirteen, in Twenty One. Twenty One worlds in which Axel finds Roxas. Akuroku
1. Introduction

**One Hundred and Four**  
or  
**Eight by Thirteen**

One Hundred and Four, or Eight by Thirteen, in Twenty One. Twenty One worlds in which Axel finds Roxas.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the words. Axel, Roxas, and any other characters mentioned belong to Square, and not me. All of the song titles belong to their respective artists, all of whom are credited with the song in the chapter title.

An Explanation in Two Parts:

1. These are drabbles of exactly one hundred and four words describe various scenarios between Axel and Roxas. Sometimes they inspired longer one-shots of mine, sometimes they were inspired by one-shots that I already wrote. Sometimes they're a little choppy in order to fit the word limit, but I love them all the same and I hope you do too. Each piece is named after a song…some for obvious reasons, some for subtle reasons, some for no reason at all other than because it tickled my fancy. There is no need to listen to the songs with the pieces, as they were titled after they were written, but they're all great songs so if you're bored, check them out!

2. My sister tells me I need to stop posting one-shots, so my solution is to post this one shot as a twenty one-shot instead. I will be posting three chapters a day until all twenty one are posted. She is a brat…and so am I.

The Playlist:  
1. _Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades_ by Brand New  
2. _Of All the Gin Joints in All the World_ by Fall Out Boy  
3. _A Synonym for Acquiescence_ by Bayside  
4. _Sex on Fire_ by Kings of Leon  
5. _Kiss and Tell_ by You Me at Six  
6. _Satellite Heart_ by Anya Marina  
7. _All the Same_ by Sick Puppies  
8. _Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape_ by Underoath  
9. _Cemetery_ by Say Anything  
10. _Skyway Avenue_ by We the Kings  
11. _Heartbeats _by Jose Gonzalez  
12. _Pour Some Sugar on Me _(cover) by The Maine  
13. _So Contagious _by Acceptance  
14. _Love Like Winter_ by AFI  
15. _All Hail the Heartbreaker_ by the Spill Canvas  
16. _Night Drive_ by Jimmy Eat World  
17. _Seatbelts are Saviors _by Lux Courageous  
18. _Slow Dancing in a Burning Room_ by John Mayer  
19. _The Other Promise_ by Yoko Shimomura  
20. _Sure as Hell_ by This Providence  
21. _Photography_ by the Starting Line


	2. Sic Transit Gloria by Brand New

Axel never touches him with bare skin, never takes his gloves off those long, thin fingers, maybe because he doesn't want to make him burn; but gloves or not Axel makes Roxas burn burn burn, and Roxas doesn't mind the melt of his dripping skin if it comes by the flames licking off Axel's hands and tongue.  
Axel never touches him with his bare skin, but Roxas peels those gloves from pale fingers and slides the zipper down until Axel's skin burns against Roxas' own, nowhere to go as his fire leaves a branding mark on the smaller boy's body, claiming him as _Axel_'s.


	3. Of All the Gin Joints by Fall Out Boy

Axel is his _best friend_ and Axel is a _boy_ and Roxas is _not gay_ but when Axel stretches his arms and arches his back Roxas wants to crawl on his knees and lick the pale strip of skin between the hem of Axel's shirt and the belt curled around his jeans. Roxas doesn't say anything but Axel laughs, stretching back even further and raking his fingers across his abs, driving his shirt up even further. Roxas imagines those fingers shoving his own shirt up his chest and the _burn_ that flushes his cheeks and races through his veins makes Axel laugh _even harder._


	4. A Synonym for Acquiescence by Bayside

Roxas asks about Axel's tattoos and Axel looks a little bit taken aback, like no one had ever bothered to assume that a Nobody could have a _reason_ for doing something so…_sentimental_. He laughs a little and tells Roxas about the history of the teardrop tattoo. Roxas asks who Axel was trying to commemorate and Axel stops laughing, his expression tense and thoughtful as his fingers stroke one dark stain. _Two boys_, he tells Roxas, _best friends_. Roxas doesn't know why the ink is suddenly wet with tears, but he kisses them one by one anyway, one kiss for Lea and one for Isa.


	5. Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon

Axel is a _Rock God_ and Roxas is a _Fan Boy_ and Axel _drips sex appeal_ as he mashes his lips against the microphone and Roxas _nearly comes in his pants_ when Axel glances down in the mosh pit and catches his eye. Green eyes blink but the singer doesn't miss a beat, just keeps singing about _sex_, _fire_, and Roxas' _sudden inability to breathe_ because the Redheaded Rock God is _still staring at him_. The song ends abruptly and the crowd doesn't know why until their God dives into the audience and shares a _desperatethirstyhotwetdelicious reunion kiss_ with the Boy he's _never met_.


	6. Kiss and Tell by You Me at Six

The first time Axel kissed him, Roxas froze for three full seconds, hot lips pressed against his immobile ones. Roxas froze, then punched Axel square in the jaw.  
The second time Axel kissed him, Roxas reacted immediately, shoved him hard, stormed away.  
The third time Roxas didn't move, let the fire melt his lips, a lingering burn.  
The fourth time, for the tiniest moment, Roxas pressed back against the wet, insistent lips, pressed back, then ran, wide eyed and pale faced. Axel followed, chased, pinned him against the wall.  
The fifth time, back to the wall, hands in red hair, Roxas kissed him back. 


	7. Satellite Heart by Anya Marina

Axel slams the door open and comes striding forward like the damn harbinger of death, chakrams at his sides, and Roxas wonders if he should summon his keyblades. Axel raises a chakram and Roxas raises an empty hand and the spiked wheel hits the ground at Roxas' feet points first, vibrating as it embeds itself inches deep into the stone floor. The anger drains from Axel as he drops the second, and suddenly he's defeated by himself, shoulders slumped and head hung low. Roxas asks why and Axel says that he wanted to give Roxas his heart, but all he had was his _soul_.


	8. All the Same by Sick Puppies

Roxas sprinted through Twilight Town like his life _depended on it_ and he didn't know _why_ because he'd _never met the man_ that was hot on his heels. Roxas ran until he hit a wall, until there was this great wheeled _thing_ flying _right at him_ and he pressed back as the thing hit solid, straddling his bicep, pinning his arm to the bricks. The redhead advanced and Roxas, inexplicably, used his free arm to grab the stranger's neck and haul him forward. He'd _never met the man_ but he kissed Roxas like his life depended on it, and Roxas realized maybe it did.


	9. Some Will Seek Forgiveness by Underoath

_No one would miss me_. Axel's body moves before his mind has a chance, throwing himself forward and snatching at any part of the blond his fingers grasp. They settle in golden strands and tug with a sharp jerk, slamming the smaller boy into the wall. Roxas' face is hard and angry, but the redhead drowns out any sound Number XIII might make with his own lips and teeth and tongue, biting and sucking until the protests melt into moans. He pushes forward until Roxas pushes back, and with a wet gasp and a hiss, Axel shoves off the wall and _disappears_. _I would_.


	10. Cemetary by Say Anything

Roxas loves Naminé and Roxas and Naminé are that perfect high school couple, destined to get _married_ and have lots of sex and babies, two dogs, a cat, and a fish. But Roxas is allergic to fur, and he thinks fish are rather stupid. Babies are good for nothing but whining and irritating everyone, and the thought of sex with Naminé often makes him feel like he'd swallowed a black hole. He figures this is normal and he figures they're just young and he figures things will work out just fine and then he walks in on Axel blowing Demyx in the locker room.


	11. Skyway Avenue by We the Kings

Some punk-ass blond is _sitting in Axel's seat_, and Axel can't imagine what moron in this school had the balls to _sit in_ _his seat_, flipping through a chemistry book like all is right in the world. Doc Marten's clomp on the linoleum floor as he stalks forward, fingers flicking the flame in and out of his lighter, intimidation and manipulation melting from his palm. The blond turns a disinterested look his way and it is approximately 4.52 seconds from when their eyes meet that Axel finds himself pinned to the floor by a narrow pair of hips and a swollen set of lips.


	12. Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez

Their skin brushes and Axel jumps a foot, staring as though he'd been burned. Roxas raised an eyebrow and if Axel'd had blood in his veins he would have blushed. He explains that Roxas' touch is warm, and Roxas doesn't understand because so is Axel's, but Axel's the exception, not the rule. "I have fire in my veins," he tells Roxas, "but the rest are cold, dead." Roxas still doesn't understand, even when Axel indicates that warm-blooded generally implies _blood_ and blood flow. Roxas is getting frustrated and his face flushes and Axel's eyes widen. "Blood flow," he says slowly, "generally requires a heartbeat."


	13. Pour Some Sugar on Me by The Maine

Summer was hot, summer was sweaty. Summer curled the tips of his damp hair and clung to his neck and melted through his clothes. The concrete wall burned under his thighs and he shifted gingerly. Another pair of sweaty limbs appeared and Roxas bit back a groan at the increased body heat. He glared at his best friend; sweaty, shirtless, board shorts slung low. Red hair was plastered to pale, glistening skin as he held out his hand and a melting ice-pop-peace-offering. Roxas licked the sticky wrist instead of the melting stick and considers that, with Axel around, maybe summer isn't really so awful.


	14. So Contagious by The Acceptance

Axel had never been kissed. He and Demyx fooled around a bit before Zexion, and one drunken argument with Saïx answered some lingering questions about Isa, but Axel had never kissed them. He didn't see the point. Kisses were sentimental fluff meant for lovers, and nobodies couldn't feel sentiment. He'd dreamed of sex with Roxas dozens of times, but the first time he dreamed of kissing him, he woke up in a cold sweat and tried to forget. He couldn't. He watched Roxas talk, Roxas eat, Roxas bite his lip and frown. Axel had never kissed anyone, but Roxas made him want to try.


	15. Love Like Winter by AFI

Roxas glares at Axel, but it's hard to put fire in a glare when your lips are blue and your teeth are chattering. He makes a valiant effort at it anyway, but Axel just thinks he looks awfully cute, some wannabe-tiger kitten. He doesn't listen as the blond opens shaking lips and spews icy words, fists clenched to keep the frostbite off his fingers. Axel can't take it; he grabs the clenched fists and tugs the smaller boy against the fire in his chest, hisses "I'm sorry you're cold," against the shell of his ear. Roxas shivers. Axel doesn't think it's from the snow. 


	16. All Hail the Heartbreaker by TSC

The redheaded heartbreaker is infamous for the trail of crying girls and puppy dog pouts left in his wake. He's a player, never satisfied, always searching. Half the school wants to watch him burn, the rest wants to watch him fall. And then the new kid comes. They expect the frustrated tears and the heartbroken eyes, but no one expects them to be poison green tears on ink stained cheeks. All hail, the heartbreaker finally met his match under blond hair and ocean eyes. The girls stop crying and the boys stop glaring and the broken-hearted redhead waits for another chance in another life. 


	17. Night Drive by Jimmy Eat World

Axel pulled the Jeep towards the side of the road, threw open the door for the blond hitchhiker. "Hey kid, where you –" The blond stared at him with dumbstruck eyes and the words died on the redhead's tongue. Blue eyes burned back, wide and staring and impossibly familiar. "Wherever you're going," he breathed, "I'm going wherever you're going." Axel kept his eyes wide and the blond kid kept his gaze steady, and Axel wasn't quite sure what he was reading in that cerulean stare but he knew it _meant something_.He put his foot down, accelerated, and pulled back out into the sunset. 


	18. Seatbelts are Saviors by Lux Courageous

Roxas stood in his doorway, blanket wrapping his shoulders, scowl pressing his lips. Axel's room was already warmer than the rest of the castle, the merrily burning fire crackling at Number VIII's command. The redhead raised an eyebrow from his seat next to the fireplace, watching expressionlessly as the blond sidled forward. "My room is frigid." Axel shifted aside and made room for Roxas, who dove for the seat and curled his shivering figure into his best friend's side. Axel draped an arm across his shoulders, pulling him close, hoping that one day, maybe, Roxas would admit to coming just because he wanted to. 


	19. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John M

Roxas watches the sky and Roxas watches the sunset and Axel watches Roxas. Roxas curls his fingers tightly around the ledge and Axel curls his own tightly in a restraining fist. Roxas' cheeks burn as he talks about Xion and Axel's eyes burn _green_ with more than just pigment. Ice Cream clings to the bottom of Roxas' lip and Axel clings to what remains of his limited self control. Roxas trades the popsicle stick for a keyblade and Axel trades his sanity for understanding and Roxas is fighting for independence but doesn't understand that he _belongs_ to Axel and Axel is fighting for _him_. 


	20. The Other Promise by Yoko Shimomura

Axel wasn't much for classical music, but Demyx wanted to go and Demyx got what he wanted, so here they were, dressed to the nines at some symphony hall to see some kid that Demyx swore was the biggest thing in music from their generation. Axel didn't really get it, and he didn't really _care_, until approximately 3.67 seconds after this so-called protégé walked out and took his seat at the piano bench. Long, thin fingers caressed the ivory keys and as Axel _remembered_, inexplicably, those same long, thin fingers caressing hot skin, cold metal, black leather, he developed newfound interest in symphonic orchestra. 


	21. Sure as Hell by This Providence

The silver glow can't make Roxas' white skin any paler, but the moon-like heart hangs twice reflected in sapphire eyes as he stands, forehead pressed against the pane. _What_ _is the _point_ of having a heart_, whispered, muffled against frosted glass, grateful that Axel was too deep asleep and too far away to answer.  
Axel stares at the light reflected on the ceiling, glowing off the blonde hair. _Hearts are meant for loving_, he wants to say. _Hearts are meant for swelling with affection and burning with desire, for explaining the _want_ and the _need_ and the _nowyespleasenow. He doesn't. He doesn't know how. 


	22. Photography by The Starting Line

Roxas shifted, spiked tips of his hair tickling Axel's nose, lips, chin as he nestled his face into the downy pillow. The redhead couldn't see the contended smile dusting pink lips, but he had lived enough lifetimes with the blond to picture it. Sometimes Roxas didn't remember, sometimes Axel didn't. Sometimes they remembered in an instant, sometimes they never did, but were drawn together anyway. Poverty and wealth and illegal age differences and occupational hazards and _nothing_ kept Axel from keeping his first promise. He tightened his hold. Beneath the long, pale fingers pressed to the blond's chest, he could feel Roxas' heart beat.


End file.
